Families urged to use alternatives as children’s A&E has busiest ever day

Families are being asked to avoid A&E unless it is a real emergency, following Sheffield Children’s busiest ever day.

The Sheffield Children’s Emergency Dept saw 263 children yesterday (Monday), a record number of patients.

This follows a very busy month in the hospital. Having more than 200 patients arriving at the Emergency Department in a day is considered unusually busy. This happened 10 times last year, but it has already happened 14 times this month.

Dr Sally Gibbs, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, said: “It is a challenging time at the moment, so we’d really welcome any support the community can give by using alternatives to the Emergency Department. There are a wide range of other services, including pharmacies, GPs and NHS 111, so please consider those before coming to us.

“However if a child really needs us, we will still ensure they get the care they need as quickly as possible. Every child who comes through our doors will be seen, but unfortunately those with less serious symptoms are likely wait far longer than normal.” For more information about the options available visit our Choose Well page.